Compare Djibouti (2003) - Latvia (2004)

Compare Djibouti (2003) z Latvia (2004)

	Djibouti (2003)	Latvia (2004)

Administrative divisions	5 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); 'Ali Sabih, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjoura	26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities: Aizkraukles Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons, Daugavpils, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons, Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala, Kraslavas Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons, Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons, Rezekne, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils, Ventspils Rajons
Age structure	0-14 years: 43.1% (male 98,796; female 98,202) 15-64 years: 53.9% (male 129,492; female 116,953) 65 years and over: 3% (male 6,933; female 6,754) (2003 est.)	0-14 years: 15% (male 177,223; female 169,241) 15-64 years: 69.2% (male 772,496; female 823,410) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 118,035; female 245,901) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels	grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
Airports	13 (2002)	51 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1524 to 2437 m: 1 (2002)	total: 27 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2002)	total: 24 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 20 (2003 est.)
Area	total: 23,000 sq km land: 22,980 sq km water: 20 sq km	total: 64,589 sq km land: 63,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Massachusetts	slightly larger than West Virginia
Background	The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve three consecutive six-year terms as president. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990's led to multi-party elections resulting in President Ismail Omar GUELLEH attaining office in May 1999. A peace accord in 2001 ended the final phases of a ten-year uprising by Afar rebels. Djibouti occupies a very strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. GUELLEH favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country.	After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Birth rate	40.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	8.87 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $135 million expenditures: $182 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)	revenues: $3.691 billion expenditures: $3.871 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital	Djibouti	Riga
Climate	desert; torrid, dry	maritime; wet, moderate winters
Coastline	314 km	531 km
Constitution	multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992	15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland	conventional long form: Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local long form: Latvijas Republika local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency	Djiboutian franc (DJF)	Latvian lat (LVL)
Death rate	19.45 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	13.73 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$366 million (2002 est.)	$6.793 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Donald YAMAMOTO embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95 FAX: [253] 35 39 40	chief of mission: Ambassador Catherine Todd-Bailey embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510 mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE 09723 telephone: [371] 703-6200 FAX: [371] 782-0047
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador ROBLE Olhaye chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302	chief of mission: Ambassador Maris RIEKSTINS chancery: 4325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-8213, 8214 FAX: [1] (202) 726-6785
Disputes - international	Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia including the Somali Transitional National Government in Mogadishu	the Russian Duma refuses to ratify boundary delimitation treaty with Latvia; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights
Economic aid - recipient	$36 million (2001)	$96.2 million (1995)
Economy - overview	The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in northeast Africa. Two-thirds of the inhabitants live in the capital city, the remainder being mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. It has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of 50% continues to be a major problem. Inflation is not a concern, however, because of the fixed tie of the franc to the US dollar. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% over the last seven years because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors. Another factor limiting growth is the negative impact on port activity now that Ethiopia has more trade route options.	Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the SKELE government's budget stringency and a gradual reorientation of exports toward EU countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. The majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. Preparing for EU membership continues as a top foreign policy goal. The current account and internal government deficits remain major concerns, but the government's efforts to increase efficiency in revenue collection may lessen the budget deficit.
Electricity - consumption	167.4 million kWh (2001)	6.046 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	703 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	2.69 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	180 million kWh (2001)	4.365 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m	lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m
Environment - current issues	inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species	Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; the main environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality and sewage system, household and hazardous waste management, and reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Ethnic groups	Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%	Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)
Exchange rates	Djiboutian francs per US dollar - 177.72 (2002), 177.72 (2001), 177.72 (2000), 177.72 (1999), 177.72 (1998)	lati per US dollar - 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002), 0.6279 (2001), 0.6065 (2000), 0.5852 (1999)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999) head of government: Prime Minister DILEITA Mohamed Dileita (since 4 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 9 April 1999 (next to be held NA 2005); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH elected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 74.4%, IDRIS Moussa Ahmed 25.6%	chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Aigars KALVITIS (since 2 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the Parliament elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term; election last held 20 June 2003 (next to be held by June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA reelected president; parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 88 of 94 votes cast
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)	wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners	Somalia 56.7%, Yemen 24.4%, Pakistan 4.8%, Ethiopia 4.4%, UAE 4.1% (2002)	UK 15.6%, Germany 14.8%, Sweden 10.5%, Lithuania 8.2%, Estonia 6.6%, Denmark 6%, Russia 5.4% (2003)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center	three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon
GDP	purchasing power parity - $619 million (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $23.9 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 3.5% industry: 15.8% services: 80.7% (2001 est.)	agriculture: 4.5% industry: 24.5% services: 70.9% (2003)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $10,200 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	3.5% (2002 est.)	7.4% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates	11 30 N, 43 00 E	57 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note	strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa	most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east
Highways	total: 2,890 km paved: 364 km unpaved: 2,526 km (1999 est.)	total: 73,202 km paved: 28,256 km unpaved: 44,946 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin American cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; vulnerable to money laundering despite improved legislation due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies, exchange firms, and the gaming industry; organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds
Imports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products	machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles
Imports - partners	Saudi Arabia 18.2%, Ethiopia 10.5%, US 9.2%, France 8.6%, China 8.2%, Netherlands 4.1% (2002)	Germany 16.1%, Lithuania 9.7%, Russia 8.7%, Finland 7.4%, Estonia 6.4%, Sweden 6.3%, Poland 5.1%, Italy 4.4% (2003)
Independence	27 June 1977 (from France)	21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate	3% (1996 est.)	8% (2003 est.)
Industries	construction, agricultural processing	buses, vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note - dependent on imports for energy and raw materials
Infant mortality rate	total: 106.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 114.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 98.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)	total: 9.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2% (2002 est.)	2.9% (2003 est.)
International organization participation	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO	Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	10 sq km (1998 est.)	200 sq km note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme	Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)
Labor force	282,000	1.18 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	NA%	agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 516 km border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km	total: 1,150 km border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)	arable land: 29.67% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 69.86% (2001)
Languages	French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar	Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Legal system	based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law	based on civil law system
Legislative branch	unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 10 January 2003 (next to be held NA January 2008) election results: percent of vote - RPP 62.2%, FRUD 36.9%; seats - RPP 65, FRUD 0; note - RPP (the ruling party) dominated the election	unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - New Era 23.9%, PCTVL 18.9%, People's Party 16.7%, ZZS 9.5%, First Party 7.6%, LNNK 5.4%; seats by party - New Era 26, PCTVL 24, People's Party 21, ZZS 12, First Party 10, LNNK 7
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 43.13 years male: 41.82 years female: 44.48 years (2003 est.)	total population: 70.86 years male: 65.91 years female: 76.09 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.9% male: 78% female: 58.4% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between Eritrea and Somalia	Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Map references	Africa	Europe
Maritime claims	contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine	-	total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 53,153 GRT/37,414 DWT by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 1 foreign-owned: Germany 1, Greece 1, Ukraine 1 registered in other countries: 96 (2004 est.)
Military branches	Djibouti National Army (including Navy and Air Force)	Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$26.53 million (FY02)	$87 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	4.4% (FY02)	1.2% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability	males age 15-49: 107,050 (2003 est.)	males age 15-49: 594,596 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	males age 15-49: 63,459 (2003 est.)	males age 15-49: 466,659 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 19,209 (2004 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 27 June (1977)	Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August 1991 is the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union
Nationality	noun: Djiboutian(s) adjective: Djiboutian	noun: Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian
Natural hazards	earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods	NA
Natural resources	geothermal areas	peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	-2.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 1,097 km; oil 409 km; refined products 415 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress Assembly or RPP (governing party) [Ismail Omar GUELLEH]; Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD [Ahmed Dini AHMED]; Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ [leader NA]	Alliance of the Greens and Farmers Union or ZZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS (Farmer's Union); Indulis EMSIS (Green Party)]; First Party of Latvia [Ainars SLESERS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Jakovs PLINERS]; For Our Latvia or ML [Rihards Jablokovs]; Latvian National Democratic Party or LNDP [Jevgenijs Osiopovs]; Latvian National Front [Aivars GARDA]; Latvian Social-Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Alfred RUBIKS]; Latvia's Way Union or LC; Light of Latgale or LG; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE]; New Politics Party or JP [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS]; People's Harmony Party or TSP [Janis JURKANS]; People's Party or TP [Atis SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]; Union for the Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK or TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME]; United Social Democratic Welfare Party or SLP [Juris ZURAVLOVS]; United Republican Party of Latvia or LARP
Political pressure groups and leaders	Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, UDJ, and PDD) [Ahmed Dini AHMED]	Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB) [Aleksandr KAZAKOV]
Population	457,130 (July 2003 est.)	2,306,306 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	50% (2001 est.)	NA
Population growth rate	2.13% (2003 est.)	-0.71% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Djibouti	Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)	AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways	total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway) narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia (2002)	total: 2,303 km broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified) narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2003)
Religions	Muslim 94%, Christian 6%	Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal adult	18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Telephone system	general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country domestic: microwave radio relay network international: submarine cable to Jiddah, Suez, Sicily, Marseilles, Colombo, and Singapore; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network	general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications international: country code - 371; international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
Telephones - main lines in use	10,000 (2002)	653,900 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	5,000 (2002)	1,219,600 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2002)	44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains	low plain
Total fertility rate	5.56 children born/woman (2003 est.)	1.25 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	50% (2000 est.)	8.6% (2003 est.)
Waterways	none	300 km (2004)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.